SIR. JOSEPH WALTON.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1871, 3 October 1913, Page 8

SIR. JOSEPH WALTON.

FROM CANADA. THE COLONIES & THEIR TRADE. / (By Telegraph.—Preea Association.) Dunedin, Octobor 2. "I have watched tlio development of Canada for forty years, and I have found that the main factor of the rapid development of that country has been the pursuance of a bold policy of railway construction right ahead of the needs of tho country," said Sir Joseph Walton, a member of tho Parliamentary party (who has como across to.Now Zealand to make a thorough investigation with regard to tho Dominion) at a luncheon tendered to him to-day at the Y.M.C.A. rooms. About seventy representative citizens were present. _ _ In the course of his remarks the visitor advocated not only the building of main lines, but tho construction of feeders, irrespective of whether they paid, so long as they assistod to mako the trunk lines pay. That was what he had preached at Home after his observations over a long period of years in Canada, India, and South Africa. Australia, in his opinion, needed railway construction right through every fertile area, followed by a carefullyorganised system of immigration, akin to that of Canada. The trade of tho Empire was moro hound up in railway construction than any other factor. An agent of the Canadian Government w*as in every big city of the Old Country,_ and able at once to give full particulars to any nspiring immigrant of land available in any part of the Dominion. The Canadian Government also gave a free grant of 160 acres, enabling a man to start work on his own property the moment he landed. Referring to New Zealand, he said that he regarded the southern lakes as a scenic asset which he wouldVuot fail to recommend to any of his friends and acquaintances wno were a little blc.so of European tourist resorts. Lifting of American Tariffs. He must congratulate New Zealand, equally with Australia, on the abolition of the (3d. per lb. import duty in tho United States on raw wool. New Zealand could now send it free to the 90,000,000 peoplo of tho States, just as she had always been able to send it to the Motherland. Further, Now Zealand would bo able to sond meat free to tho Stares, and there could not bo any greater testimony to tho free-trade system of Old England than this new departure in America. Britain Not Played Out. The Old Land was not played out, notwithstanding what Mr. Chamberlain had said. Its trade and commerce had rapidly risen since 1902, and the foreign export trade promised this year to be up to £500,000,000 —by far tho record of tho country. New Zealand Possibilities. Discussing tho possibilities of New Zealand, Sir Joseph Walton remarked that, having free sugar here, wo_ should be in a very favourable position for going in moro extensively for fruitgrowing and establishing jam and canning factories. .So far as the question of giving land to immigrants was concerned, ho had already learned that, in New Zealand, land was at a premium, . and that properties had changed liand3 at prices which they would consider enormously higli oven in the Old Country. • He could only conclude from this that farming was a very prosperous business in New Zealand. English peoplo viewed with interest the system adopted here of _ military training, and while the British, as a peoplo, were opposed to conscription, some scheme might boxivolved to provide a force for dofenco only.